


Street Magic

by Shootmewithasilverbullet



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor is a street Magician, Connor is like a mother hen to everyone, Connor mingles in murder investigation, He Cares So Much, M/M, Multi, No other words to describe it, Simon is a murder suspect, The Anderson Family gives me life, Wholesome Family Feels, Will add tags as I think of them, hypnotist, mentalist - Freeform, street performer, what even are tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-06-18 00:24:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15473406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shootmewithasilverbullet/pseuds/Shootmewithasilverbullet
Summary: Its hard enough to lead an unconventional life, but to do so when sinister things are going on around you? A friend gets into some serious trouble and the only thing left for Connor to do is to insert himself into the investigation and try and help solve it before anything worse happens. It helps that the lead detective is hot. Embark on a journey set to spiral out of control as forces bigger than anyone expected try and tear reality apart.This is a Detroit: Become Human AU fic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Eeey! Super huge thank you for reading guys! Hope y'all enjoy this as much as I do. 
> 
> Feel free to stalk me on Tumblr @ [Shootmewithasilverbullet](https://shootmewithasilverbullet.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Huge thanks to Unacceptable-Bisexual on Tumblr for helping / inspiring / and just being an all around huge inspiration! 
> 
> As always, comment and kudos! I really appreciate it!
> 
> Please note I have no idea how magic tricks work or anything. I can only research so much. Much love friends.

Connors lips twitched into a cheeky little smile, nose twitching with the faintest bit of excitement at the game. The gathered crowd wasn't big, maybe fifteen or more people but he had their attention, and that was the biggest achievement. The woman he had in his sights was lovely; all dark hair and pretty eyes, dressed nice enough that it wouldn't hurt her much to loose a few things, and the guy she was with was an asshole, Connor could tell. He was the real target, but it was easier to go through women first. Men were less receptive by nature, especially when it was another male doing the tricks. "Are you paying attention? I learned this trick when I was twelve." He shuffled the deck of cards, making an absolute show of it, and she was enthralled with him.

With her unwavering attention on him, her boyfriends attention on her, and the crowd focused completely on his deck of cards, Connor was free to act without actually being seen. She was enamoured, so focused that she only saw what he wanted her to. He shuffled the deck, fingers moving through the cards easily, like they were an extension of himself, and only when he was sure the crowds focus was at a peak, did he lose it.

He tripped, missed a key movement with his hands and spilled his deck across the sidewalk, making an exaggerated dive as if he was trying to catch all 52 cards as they scattered unceremoniously to the crowds feet. "Oh, okay wow-" Connor held onto the woman, hand on her shoulder, like she was the only support holding him up at this moment. Connor laughed, making light of the situation he'd found himself in. "Like I said, I haven't done this since I was tiny, and on my dad, and he may have been lying when he said that I got it right."

The crowd laughed with him and Connor bowed, an exaggerated gesture for sure, reaching for a scattered pile of cards on the wet cement and picking one single card up from the mess. "Now, be honest with me, but is this your card?" that cheeky smile of his was back and Connor flipped the three of spades face up in the palm of the woman's hand and her thrilled squeal was the distraction he need. She made a show of it, like he knew she would, and with the attention shifted off of him Connors fingers went to work, light touches, barely anything to notice at all.

It was done just as fast as it started and he took another bow, winking at a group of girls just to his left. "As much as I appreciate all of your attention tonight, that's it for me. Thank you for keeping me company and enjoy the evening folks!" with a wave, Connor picked up the newsboy hat he used for tips, hiding it in his jacket pocket before stepping back into the flow of foot traffic behind him and started down the street, rounding a corner when he reached the end of the block. It was a familiar blue sweater that made him hesitate, it's wearer leaning back against the brick building, like he was waiting for someone.

"Its always fun watching you do that." Simon laughed, smiling under his hood, his head of platinum hair had grown maybe just a bit too long since the last time Connor had seen him. "And they always fall for it."

"You just need to read your crowd. I couldn't pull that on just anyone." it didn't take a genius to know that Simon was here waiting for him. They were friends, but not the kind that talked a lot outside of work. They kept tabs on each other sure, sometimes they worked together, but for Simon to be here, specifically waiting for him... His posture read nervous, the discolouration under his eyes meant sleep deprivation. He wasn't ourwardly distressed, maybe excited. Something good then? Connor wondered about that. "What are you doing in Detroit, Simon? I thought-"

"L. A., I know. I did it, now I'm back." he fidgeted, stuffing both his hands in the front of his jeans and looked away, and Connor frowned. "Look, don't do that, Con. I know you're doing that analyzing thing."

"Sorry."

Simon scrunched his nose, mimicking Connors frown. "I'm getting paid to do a show, nothing too crazy, but there are specifics. Time, place. It isn't a venue, just a street gig but I wanted to know if you wanted in on it. I could use the help, and we could both use the money." The blond noded in Connors direction, earning a genuine laugh from him. He was making a crack at Connor's coat; it wasn't destitute, but it had seen better days. The peacoat was Connors favorite though, and small patch jobs wouldn't stop him from wearing it.

Connor dropped back against the wall next to his friend and stared at the people walking by with a thoughtful sigh. He didn't know what it was, but something didn't feel right. His gut was telling him to pass on this, despite wanting to help Simon out. "Si... I don't have a good feeling."

"I haven't even told you anything yet. How can you have a feeling?" this time, Simon looked over at him and Connor didn't have to see his face to know he was annoyed.

"Who wants you to do it?"

Simon shrugged. He was uncomfortable now, thinking. The curious fidgets and the slightest shrug he gave weren't very confident, which was strange because despite being shy for the most part, Simon was pretty self confident. This was a little strange for the blond, to be so obviously unsure of himself like this. It didn't sit well with Connor at all.

"Simon."

The blond shook his head, pushing off the wall, arms crossing over his chest. Defensive, as if he knew this could end badly for him. "Its fine, Connor. I just came here to see if you wanted to help out but by the looks of it, your comfortable just taking wallets." Connor flinched, Simon's words stung a bit more than they should have, but it was true.

"I can't ignore a gut feeling, you know that. Stay safe, okay? I'm going to worry about you until this is over." the eye roll he got as a response was exaggerated, but Simon smiled again, and that alone made Connor feel a bit better about letting the guy go off and do something a bit risky. Doing tricks in the street was one thing, getting paid by a random mysterious person to do tricks on a specific street at a specific time... That just didn't sit well with Connor. There was more to it than that, he knew, it was just a matter of details.

Details like the bruises on Simon's wrists that Connor saw when he'd crossed his arms. Too thin to be rope, and more bruise than burn. Handcuffs. He was thin, more than normal and the baggy clothes were an attempt to hide it. If he were to guess, Simon had gotten involved in something way over his head and was trying to fix it. Friend or not, Connor tried hard to stay out of trouble. He'd made a promise to his dad.

"Jesus, Connor!"

He couldn't keep himself from laughing at his own overwhelming worry. "I'm sorry, I just have a really awful feeling! I'm going to worry about you until this thing is over and you call me to let me know I can stop worrying." Simon just shook his head, but he was grinning and it made Connor feel a little better about the situation. If anything /was/ wrong, at least Simon could still smile. "Send me the details, I might stop by to check in."

"Sure, dad." Simon rolled his eyes again, but the good humour was back. It didn't put Connor at ease, but he wasn't sure if anything would at this point.

Connor reached out and gripped Simon by the shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I mean it. Watch your back okay? I'm usually not wrong."

"Mister Clairvoyant over here. You sure you shouldn't be playing with a crystal ball instead of lame playing cards?"

"Don't be an asshole!" Connor pushed him back a pace by his shoulder and Simon laughed "Get out of here you shithead. Remember, text me!"

The blond waved, hand over his head and turned into the crowd. Connor watched him go until he couldn't see him anymore before dropping heavily back against the wall with a sigh. What had Simon gotten himself into? The guy had only been in L. A. for a handful of months, but clearly that was enough time to really find some trouble. There wasn't much he could do about it though; Simon was his own man and could make decisions for himself. If he needed help, he'd ask for it.

Digging into his back pocket, Connor pulled out a wallet definitely not belonging to himself and flipped through it curiously. Jason Anthony Elban. Few hundred dollars worth of cash in his wallet, might have planned to treat his lady friend nice tonight, or not. Connor hadn't read him as the type to do that, which was why he'd targeted him. The girl he'd been with had been a sweetheart and deserved better than what this bastard offered. Connor kept the credit cards he found inside the wallet and would shred them when he got home. The last thing he wanted was for someone to pick up a discarded wallet and commit some kind of credit card fraud. Everything else was expendable and he tossed what was left of the wallet to one side.

He pulled the folded newsboy hat out of his jacket pocket, shaking it open and counting what was inside. He kept the hat out while he entertained a crowd as a means for tipping because just existing was expensive and even street performers needed to eat. Tonight the crowds had been few and small but decent and Connor stuffed the money into the front pocket of his jeans, pulling the hat over his head.  
°°° × °°° × °°°  
It had been days since the talk with Simon and Connor hadn't heard a peep out of his friend. He'd gotten a text that same night with a time and a place, but besides that it had been radio silence and it was really starting to make him anxious. Connor glanced at his phone again, just in case he'd gotten a message and had just missed hearing the jingle, but there was nothing. Simon's show should have started already, and Connor would have been there but...

"You gonna look at that phone all fucking night? Thought this was supposed't be a family dinner."

"Yup, sorry dad." Connor slide his phone into a pocket and leaned forward, elbows on the table, hands folded under his chin. "I'm all yours." He smiled, the same cheeky lip-twitch that he knew his dad hated because it was so cocky, and sure enough, Hank rolled his eyes and stuck his fork a little more rough than necessary into his beans.

"Shit head." Hank shoved the beans into his mouth before noticing the sinister plot going on to his right - the dog scarfing down some beans that were meant for his youngest son. "Cole! Fuck-Sumo, get outta here! No begging at the table!" The old man swatted at the dog and the big St Bernard waddled away from the table, dropping down onto the floor in a heavy pile just outside of the dining room, watching and waiting, because it would just be a matter of time before he got something else to eat.

Connor couldn't help himself but laugh at the chaos unfolding before his eyes. Hank scolded his youngest son about feeding the dog and needing to eat his greens, and it was times like these that Connor really missed being at home. The dynamic between himself, his little brother and their father was entertaining, that was for sure. "Sumo doesn't want to eat your beans anyway, Cole."

"Uh, yeah he does, did you even see him he ate them so fast, like he was starving." the kid pointed off towards their dog, and sure enough, Sumo lifted his head curiously, checking to see if he was going to get something else to eat.

"Beans aren't good for dogs." trying to stay serious was proving to be difficult and Connor couldn't keep himself from smiling.

Cole raised a brow, calling bullshit without actually saying it. "Sumo eats grass, Con. I'm pretty sure a few strings beans won't kill him."

Hank groaned loudly, rubbing both hands over his face. He wasnt mad, he rarely got angry when it came to his sons, but he only had so much patience for their back and forth banter. "Cole, Connor, just stop. Please! The dog isn't a garbage disposal and the beans are meant for human consumption. That means eat your own god damned beans Cole!"

With that, Connor stuck his tongue out at his little brother, grinning wide when Cole glared at him from across the table. It sounded like a victory for him, and he watched as Cole ate one single bean off his plate, and then made gross throw up sounds to exagerate his point.

They had a family dinner at least once a week if Hanks schedule permitted it, and if their father was too busy with work, Connor tried to be at the house more often than not just to keep Cole company and make sure he was fed. Connor was essentially the mother hen of his family, since they were without a mother and Hank showed no signs of wanting to remarry. It wasn't a problem, it was a role that Connor enjoyed and both Cole and Hank appreciated it. He loved his family and would do anything for them, and if this was what they needed, then he'd mother hen the shit out of this house. Besides, he was the only one who saw the benefits that vegetables had on teenage boys.

"So tell me how your play went. What was it again? Some Shakespeare?"

"Macbeth!" Cole pointed his fork at Connor and shook it for emphasis. "You know this, because you were there. I saw you in the corner. You came in late and didn't want to bother anyone so you stood in the back the entire time." Cole stabbed the fork into the half cut chicken breast and picked the entire thing up, nibbling on it.

Connor smiled wide, shrugging in a slightly over-exaggerated manner while ignoring the unrefined way his brother had chosen to eat. "Ah, I vaguely remember something like that... You were... Banquo, right?" and for the sake of his father, Connor leaned in closer to him and muttered "Not the main character of the play, just so you know."

That spurred on Hank, who glanced in Coles direction surprised. "What? Why didn't you get to play the main guy, I thought you were practicing a lot." The genuine concern was something that Connor loved to see and he leaned on his elbow, just watching.

Hank cared a lot about both of his sons, Connor saw it every day in everything that he did. He worked a lot, being a Lieutenant at the Detroit City Police Department, and didn't always have time to go see the plays and events, but that didn't stop him from doing whatever he could. Sometimes, he wasn't the best dad; he put his foot down alot when it came to Cole, when there was no reason for it and Cole sometimes hated him because of it, but no one could ever tell Connor that Hank Anderson didn't care about his kids.

"I didn't want to play Macbeth, I hate the guy and I didn't want a big part. It's a stupid play, anyway." The kid was embarrassed, his posture said so, the lack of eye contact, staring at his plate where he'd dropped the sewered chicken. Why? Becuase he hadn't gotten a lead role or because they were asking about it? It wasn't like Cole to get embarrassed about the stuff he was acting in, so it had to be something else.

"But I thought you liked acting in plays." Connor sounded confused, because he really was confused.

"Just not this one, okay? Drop it, Connor."

Hank made eye contact with Connor and he shrugged. There was something about the main part of the play that Cole wasn't okay with, but as an older brother, Connor had promised not to pry too much. "Alright." but it was still bothering him, because it was bothering Cole. It was kind of his job as an older brother to pry though, even if he said he wouldn't. What to do, what to do... "You sure?"

"Ugh! YES!" Cole picked up his plate of half eaten dinner and stood up, turning to face their father, totally done with Connor and his pestering. "May I be excused?" Hank nodded and Cole left for the kitchen to presumably clean his plate.

Connor leaned on his elbow and sighed. He didn't like it when his little brother was upset with him, but he also didn't like it when his little brother kept secrets from him. Cole was 15, that was too young to keep secrets from your family, especially your nosy brother. "I wonder if it's the Lady Macbeth that's got him all ruffled." It made sense. Connor could remember all of the plays that Cole had been in and he hadn't really had a part where he was involved with a girl, and he was a teenager. Maybe he was just shy. It was kind of strange to see an Anderson that was girl-shy.

"The what?"

"The girl playing the lead female role. I wonder if he likes her."

Hank made an 'Aaaaah' sound of understanding, nodding his head but before he could say anything, there was a crash from the kitchen and Cole stalked back in the dinning room, beat red in the face, and mad.

"I can hear you, you know! Stop talking about me like I'm not right here! That's not it at all by the way! It-it doesn't have anything to do with a dumb girl, God!" he turned and left back into the kitchen as soon as he'd finished yelling and Hank could not hold in his laughter, howling loudly at the table which in turn caused Connor to chuckle, shaking his head.

"Yeah good guess, it's a girl problem."

"Has to be." Connor snerked and stood up with his plate, grabbing for his dads as well when Hank leaned back in his chair, an acknowledgment that he was finished. "I'll calm him down."

"You will not. You're going to go in there and antagonize the shit out of him and piss him off even more."

Balancing both plates in his hands, Connor winked, unable to keep his smile from showing. "Isn't that the same thing?"

Hank smirked, shaking his head as Connor slid into the kitchen quietly with his plates, intent on cleaning them and the rest of the dishes that had piled up. Cole was already at the sink, waiting for the water to fill up, and he didn't acknowledge his brother at all. Connor didn't press Cole, scraping the plates quietly into the green bin next to the sink before piling them next to the rest of the dirty dishes. He grabbed a drying towel and stood next to his brother and waited.

Cole grabbed a dish and started washing it silently, not even looking at his brother, and it went on for at least half of the pile before Connor spoke up. "You can't stay mad at me forever, Cole."

"I know. I'm not mad, either."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm pissed."

Connor actually laughed at that. "Because I called you out on your little crush? Please." He watched Coles face heat up a bright red at the mere suggestion and the kid shook his head fiercely. "My bad, was I wrong?" Of course Connor wasn't wrong.

With a sigh, Cole slumped forward, arms sinking further into the sink of dirty dish water. "So she's super cute and she got the Lady Macbeth part and then when I auditioned for Macbeth I just..." Cole actually growled, pulled his hands out of the water and scratched his fingers through his hair, completely frustrated. "It's so stupid! I choked up and couldn't do the lines properly and they down casted me and I got stupid Banquo! I really wanted to play Macbeth okay. It's so stupid I can't believe I fucked up that bad." 

"You shouldn't swear." Connor was trying his best not to smile but it was hard to do. Cole was pretty upset over his own failure but it was kind of absolutely adorable. Normally, the kid was pretty self assured and rarely let outside influences impact him. He was good at acting, at being confident in his own abilities, so seeing him flounder because of some cute girl... It was just really adorable. "So you're mad at this girl for making you trip up in your audition. You know you can't blame your failure on other people, even if they were indirectly involved."

Cole sunk his arms further into the water, slouching over so he could rest his chin on the side of the sink. "Yeah, I know." He frowned and huffed, defeated. "I'm just... Really pissed... At myself, I guess. She's really cute."

"Oh I bet, if she's got /you/ flustered I can just imagine how cute she is." Connor reached over and ruffled Coles head of brown hair, shoving him playfully. "Don't get so dramatic. Dad gets worried when you over react and he's got a lot on his plate already with work."

"And worrying about /you./" Cole laughed, shoving his brother in return before trying to straighten out his now mucked up hair with one hand. The kids mood had done a 180° so quickly. "He worries about you more than you think he does."

"Ugh." It was Connors turn to roll his eyes and sigh, perhaps being a bit over-dramatic himself. "He doesn't have to worry about me, I'm fine."

Cole glanced his way, a cheeky little smile twitching at his lips. "Oh yeah?" he raised a brow, like he didn't believe that yes, Connor was doing well for himself. "You do tricks on a street corner for money." Cole sniggered, passing his brother another clean dish to dry. "Is it actually a job?"

Connor gasped, one hand gripping at his chest as though the comments spilling from his brothers mouth physically hurt him. "Harsh, little brother! I do shows inside sometimes to, you know." he took the plate from Cole and started drying it. "It's not a typical job, but that's the point."

"My bad." Cole laughed.

"You little shit." Connor would have antagonized his brother some more, but the chime of his phone buzzed form his pocket and it actually surprised him. He forgot that he'd been waiting for Simon to text him back. Connor draped his drying towel over Coles head just to annoy him, and fished the cellphone out of his pocket. Cole pulled the towel off his head and threw it at Connor, laughing - at least until he realized that Connor had gotten serious.

"Con?"

"Hm?" Connor read the message again, and wasn't able to keep the worry from showing. He'd definitely gotten a text from Simon, but it wasn't a message bragging about his success. It was cryptic, short, and it made Connor worry even more than he had been already. The message only said 'Meet @ your place asap. Need help.' It was rare for Simon to ask for help so directly, especially after a show. Before a show? Maybe, if he needed a bit of backup, or advice. Needing help after a show did not sound good at all and made Connor think that something had gone wrong. That was never good. God, Simon, what had you gotten yourself into this time.

"Con, What's the matter? You're frowning."

Glancing up from his phone, Connor dropped it into his pocket and reached out, tapping Cole on the cheek with his hand, answering with a forced a smiled. "Nothing, don't worry. I just have to go earlier than I thought. Something important came up." Cole didn't seem convinced, but he nodded anyway and Connor was grateful for the lack of questions that he couldn't answer yet. There was no sense speculating on what might be wrong when he wasn't even sure if anything was actually wrong. For all he knew, Simon just needed a place to stay for the night. Unlikely, but he wouldn't know until he got home.

Cole dried his hands and followed when Connor left for the living room where Hank had migrated to. Sumo was laying across the floor in a big furry heep while Hank sat sprawled in the couch, TV on, flipping through the channels. Connor knelt down beside the big dog, scratching his hands through the thick fur of the animals back. He could tell that Hanks attention was in him now, even if he kept clicking through the channels. "I'm gonna go a bit early. Something came up."

"Anything important?"

Connor knew his dad, every bit as perceptive as he was. The old man was a Police Lieutenant for a reason, and Connor wasn't going to give him an ounce of information besides what he wanted him to know. The last thing he needed was his dad worrying about him for absolutely no reason. "Important enough to have to go, but not really. You know the type, dramatic about everything. I'm sure whatever the problem is, it's really nothing and someone's just over reacting."

Hank sighed, almost like he didn't really believe what Connor was saying, but there was no reason he should suspect anything. "Alright. Just stay outta trouble, Connor. I worry about you." And he meant it. No matter how many times Connor proved that he could take care of himself, or how many times he promised to stay out if trouble, Hank never let it rest, and Connor couldn't hold that against him, because it was Hanks way of saying 'I love you'.

"I know." Connor grinned, patting Sumo on the head before standing back up. "I'll call you about next week, okay?" Hank waved with a hand, silent agreement, and Connor playfully shoved Cole onto the couch as he walked by. "Talk to that girl, Cole."

"Connor!" The kid flopped on the couch, cheeks beat red all over again, earning a laugh from both his brother and his dad. The poor teen whined, covering his face with both his hands before he could embarrass himself any further. "Ugh! I hate both of you!"

Laughing, Connor left, shutting the front door tight behind him.  
°°° × °°° × °°°  
The building Connor lived in wasn't a secure place - anyone could walk inside, so it wasn't a surprise to see Simon waiting by his door on the second floor. What was a surprise, was Simon himself. He was twitchy, foot tapping against the ground and he was sitting against the door, hugging his legs as close to himself as he could. It put Connor on high alert immediately. "Simon?" He didn't look hurt, only spooked, at least, until he stood up.

"C-Connor!" Simon was on his feet in an instant, sounding surprised to see Connor even though he was waiting right by Connors door. He bounced, nervously on his toes, staying by the door waiting for Connor to open it so they could go inside. He didn't look hurt, but his clothes were a mess, muddy and stained, like he'd rolled through a park in the rain. There were some darker stains, still wet, that didn't look at all like mud. Connor knew blood when he saw it. Why would Simon have blood on his clothes?

Unlocking his front door as quick as he could, Connor pushed Simon inside and promptly shut, locked and bolted the door behind them. "What-"

"-You were so right it was a bad idea, Con. Shit." Simon started pacing around the living room, doing circles around the coffee table while he rubbed both hands through his wet hair. "It was- It was- I don't know, but it turned bad really quick. There were so many people and I didn't see what happened, just someone screaming all of a sudden and then this guy - on the ground." And Simon paused, blue eyes unfocused, staring intently at the carpet but Connor bet he didn't actually see it.

"Simon."

"Huh?"

Hearing his name, the blond looked up, blinking. He was in shock, had to be. Connor put both hands on Simon's shoulders, steering him around the coffee table so he could sit him on the sofa. Once down, Connor pulled at the blonds sweater, and Simon obediently shucked it off. Getting him into some dry, clean clothes was priority one, then he could get him to talk. "Stay there. I'm going to get you some fresh clothes." Simon just nodded.

Connor went to his room to get some clean clothes and paused at his dresser, still holding Simon's sweater. It was definitely blood on Simon's blue sweater, it was hard to mistake that consistency. Who's was it? Not Simon's, he didn't look hurt at all, not physically anyway. He looked the sweater over, but there were no holes, nothing to prove that it was an injury sustained by Simon himself. That meant, if Connor was any good at guessing, Simon had probably tried to help someone who was wounded. This was bad. Really bad. Best case scenario? There wasn't any that Connor could think of.

Dropping the sweater on his dresser, Connor found a few articles of clothes that would fit Simon and brought them out into the living room. Simon was still on the couch, leaning forward with his face buried in his hands. Poor guy looked like he was seconds away form having a breakdown. "Here, Si. Go take a shower and change, then we can talk. There are fresh towels in the bathroom already." The blond nodded numbly, stood up, took the clothes from Connor quietly and disappeared into the bathroom. Connor watched him go before he moved into the small kitchen. Connor wasn't the type to abandon his friends, but the thought had crossed his mind already. He'd promised to stay out of trouble, specifically police type trouble, and Simon was going to bring cops right to his door. He couldn't just abandon Simon though, obviously because Simon was his friend and he was in desperate need of help by the look and sound of it. Perfect. He'd have to think of a way to apologize to Hank later for not heeding his promise.

The sound of the shower turning on was loud, the old water tank struggling to kick in, and Connor clicked on the kettle, waiting patiently for the water to boil so he could make some tea. He had a bunch in a cupboard somewhere, having accumulated an insane variety of tea for no particular reason over the years. Ever functioning adult had a cupboard dedicated to tea they didn't know how they got. Looking through the boxes - Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Green Tea, Chamomile, Jasmine - Peppermint, that's what he wanted. It wasn't like he knew what kind of tea Simon drank, if he drank it all, but Peppermint seemed like something he'd enjoy.

With the teabag in the mug, waiting for the kettle to boil, Connor leaned against the counter and took a slow breath, closing his eyes.

He knew enough about police work to know the flow of things, thanks to his dad, and having almost gone through the Police Academy himself. If someone was dead, the cops would be on the body already, investigating, and they'd start looking. He didn't know if Simon would even be a suspect, because he was just in the area, but chances were that the poor guy would be front and center. It couldn't have been a coincidence being paid to be there, and then this happening. It had to have been set up by someone, but who? Simon had to know who paid him, but if the police came looking for him, he'd be a murder suspect and would they even listen to him? If Hank was the lead investigator then at least Simon had a chance but anyone else? Street performers didn't exactly have a good reputation with law enforcement.

The kettle clicked, water boiling and Connor poured some into a mug and watched the colour change in the water. If it wasn't Hank investigating, then he couldn't hand over Simon, if they even came for him. Why was he even planning on how and when he was going to give his friend to the police? Simon deserved better than that.

The water in the shower stopped and Connor waited a little longer before the bathroom door creaked open and a marginally healthier looking Simon shuffled out. They were both roughly the same body type, with Simon being a bit thinner so Connors clothes fit pretty good and didn't look too weird. Simon made his way to the sofa and sat down, folding his arms over his knees and Connor took the opportunity to bring over the mug of tea and some fixings. "Feel any better?"

Simon nodded, mumbled a thank you for the drink while dropping sugar cubes into the steaming water. "I'm so sorry, Connor. I didn't want to get you involved but... I don't have anyone else."

And Connor suddenly felt extremely shitty for even considering handing his friend over if the cops asked for him. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to help you any way that I can, okay? You just tell me what happened."

Again, Simon nodded and started on his story; about how he'd scoped the place beforehand so it wouldn't be a surprise, the crowds of people, the show itself and then the yelling. Besides the yelling, Simon hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary. No struggle, no fight. "It was weird, because if someone dies, it's supposed to be loud, right? Screaming, shouting." Simon glanced at Connor a moment before turning back to staring at the coffee table, taking a sip of his drink. "But I didn't hear anything until that woman screamed, and by then he was already dead. I could feel it, I tried to help but. But I don't think there was anything I could do. There was so much blood, Con. I've never see that much before."

Simon was stressed, a hair trigger away from a full on panic attack and being asked questions wasn't going to help the situation, but Connor needed to know. "Do you know who it was?"

"No." Simon shook his head slowly, thinking. "I don't think I've ever seen him in my life. Didn't look like the type to like watching tricks. Didn't look like the kind of person to even be in that part of town. I guess. I don't know." He shook his head again, like he was trying to get the image out of his head and it pulled at Connors heartstrings.

"Simon. Who hired you?"

"I don't know."

"Simon." Connor said his name a little more sternly, because this was important. If Simon didn't trust him, Connor couldn't help him.

The blond shook his head again, a bit more forceful. "I don't! It was all anonymous, I didn't even talk to a real person, just over text." and before Connor could ask, he pulled out his phone and handed it to Connor. "Look. You can see the whole conversation. I don't know who it was, or why they picked me. All I know is that... That someone died and I was a distraction."

Connor scrolled through the message when he found it on the phone and everything Simon said coincided with what was relayed in text form. He did copy the number down so he could look into it later because if anything, he'd want to know who was using street magicians as scapegoats. Granted, most deserved it because they were obnoxious fools, but then there were people like him and Simon, who genuinely did it because they enjoyed it, and didn't care too much about fame.

"Okay." Connor stood up finally, taking a long, slow breath. He'd made his decision. "This is how we're going to do it." Beside him, Simon stood up as well, watching curiously. When Connor started guiding him around the apartment, Simon let him, and they came to a stop in front of the bedroom. "You're going to go to sleep, and I'm going to wrack my brain and see if I can't think up something. If we're lucky, no one will connect you with the murder. You had nothing to do with it, so why would they think it was you?"

It took a second, but Simon finally nodded a few times, as if he was coaxing himself into believing that. "Yeah. That's right. It'll all work out."

"That's the spirit. Try and get some sleep okay?" Connor gave the blond a light push into the room and was ready to head back to the sofa when Simon called out making him stop.

"Connor."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Grinning like an idiot, Connor pointed passed Simon into the room "Get some sleep, please. I don't like sleeping on the couch so count yourself lucky." he heard Simon's weak attempt at a laugh before the bedroom door shut, and Connor found himself laying on his sofa, too many questions circling in his head to actually go to sleep.

It was bad. The news was covering the story as it unfolded though they didn't have much more information than Connor did. No one knew who had been killed, but there were speculations in who the police were looking for: A blond con-artist; no name, no picture, but Connor knew exactly who it was. Online wasn't better. There were videos on YouTube of the after math someone had shot with their phone, and sure enough, Simon trying to revive a man on the ground. The videos were all similar, crowded and it hard to really see anything in them, but Connor knew.

Checking his phone for the first time since he'd gotten home, there was an influx of messages from different people, checking in on him because it wasn't a secret that Connor and Simon were friends, that they worked together often enough. They'd filmed content together, and frequently talked about each other on their blogs, and that was just their online presence. If the police didn't show up at the apartment, they weren't doing their jobs.

This wasn't going to end well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get interesting in regards to the investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for waiting on this one! It was a ride for sure and it was trouble and a half writing some of it, but I hope the wait was worth it.
> 
> As per usual, all comments, kudos and support of any kind is truly appreciated and adored!

The rain hadn't let up yet, making it harder to analyze a crime scene, but not impossible. The body itself was pretty cut and dry - so to speak: Male, approximately in his late 40's, early 50's, overweight, about 6ft tall. Cause of death; Organ failure due to trauma, at least that's what the on site coroner had guessed. The vic had about 6 stab wounds in his abdomenal area, and the knife had hit a few vital organs from the looks of it. He'd bled out, but died before that. What a fucking shitty way to go. They hadn't identified the victim yet, but Gavin had officers working on it. He'd have a name by morning at the latest. Now, it was just a matter of figuring out who'd gone and killed the guy. 

"Why're you staring at the dead guy." It wasn't a question, Leo was just annoyed that they were still outside in the rain. "He gonna tell you what happened if you stare long enough?" The younger detective hunched over a little, like the rain was bothering him and his jacket wasn't thick enough to keep him warm. It was June though, so despite the rain being cold, the weather was decent even this late at night. Leo was just being a bitch. 

"C'mon, Manfred. Look at him." Gavin waved a hand at the dead guy laying in a pool of his own diluted blood on the well kept sidewalk. "Why the fuck would anyone want this guy dead?" he stuffed his hand back into the pocket of his damp leather jacket and rocked backwards onto his heels, lips twisting into a frown. "This isn't his side of town. Look at his clothes, his hair. He doesn't have money, and if he does, he isn't showing it. This part of town is for CEOs and Politicians, and our dead guy aint any if those things. Why was he here?" Gavin glanced to his side, watching Leo step up beside him to get a better look at the guy laying on his face in the running rain water. At least the kid was trying. 

Gavin was still on the fence about his new 'partner'. Leo Manfred had only recently been promoted to Detective, and he hadn't gotten the title because of his skills. Skill didn't matter if your old man had money and donated a lot of it to the right places. A few months back, the Police Chief had handed the kid over to Gavin with a stern warning of 'Keep him alive, Reed'. It was a slap in the face, because Gavin had fought tooth and nail to get where he was; he'd put in long hours and worked his ass off, but he didn't have daddy's money to back up his skills. Yeah, he'd been fucking pissed for the first bit. Why him? Why the fuck was he supposed to be the one to babysit? Staying pissed off got you nowhere though, and eventually it just made sense to try and make the best of it. Leo wasn't an idiot, though he could be sometimes, he might even make a good Detective someday, so Gavin might as well teach him. It was either that or accidentally get the kid killed during a shootout or something and he'd already been warned against doing that. 

Leo crouched down, staring at the victim a moment from a different angle before looking up at Gavin curiously. "Wait, didn't someone say that there was a show going on here?" 

"Right." It was a good call, but Gavin didn't think this guy would come all the way out here, so obviously out of his element, just to see some kind of street show that he could probably see downtown. But, Leo was trying so Gavin caught the attention of an officer nearby and waved her over. "Do we have any witnesses with cellphones?" It was 2018, there was no way someone hadn't taken a video of what happened. The police woman nodded and went off to presumably gather the witnesses they were keeping, while Gavin nudged Leo in the ass with his boot. "Get up, Manfred." 

It wasn't long, maybe a few minutes before the officer came back, herding a few people with her. All of them were young, wealthy in appearance, and they all looked miserable. Good, because Gavin felt the same way. The three witnesses stood side by side, a little nervous, all three of them taking notice of the obvious tarp that had been used to cover Mr. Victim. 

"Can anyone tell me what happened?" No one spoke up, though they all looked at each other like they expected the others to answer instead. Seconds ticked by and Gavin's patience was running thin way too quickly. "For fucks sake. It's either answer the fucking question or I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice. Take your pick boys and girls, choice is yours. I hear prison is pretty scenic this time of the year." He didn't have time for these kinds of stupid juvenile 'I don't talk to police' games. 

The idea of being arrested for a legitimate reason managed to spook the kids, probably no older than 19, and one of the two girls spoke up. "I didn't see it. I was here, watching the show, but... No one saw it happen. Just what happened after." She looked at the boy beside her and elbowed him "Cory took a video on his phone. We were just here to watch the magic show, they're pretty cool you know? None of us signed up for a murder."

Gavin knew he could count on teenagers to have some kind of video. All he had to do was hold out his hand and the boy, Cory, handed over his mobile with a sigh. It didn't take Gavin long to flip through the phone and find the videos of the show, Leo looking over his shoulder. Sure enough there were only two; the first was of the actual show, a blond guy, maybe mid 20s, Gavin couldn't tell, doing some kind of trick in the middle of the crowd of people, but there wasn't much. The audio was useless because there was so much background noise, and the video quality was kind of shitty for a rich kids phone. The second video was a bit better. They'd taken a video of the aftermath, the blond entertainer on the ground beside the victim, though the audio was peaking too much to really hear anything. Gavin sent both videos to his own phone for later. Maybe the computers at the station could clear up some of the audio trouble. 

"What kind of show was this?" Gavin handed the kids phone back, looking at the girls for an answer. The other girl who'd been silent so far piped up finally.

"Magic, like tricks, you know? He made a rabbit disappear in a box. That sort of stuff. You have to go downtown for that usually, but it was cool to have him here. Uhm... Shayla what was his name?" 

"Simon. Hunt? Hunter? I think it was something like that."

Gavin nodded, even though the name meant nothing to him. He didn't keep track of the different kinds of entertainers in Detroit, because there were a lot. He did know that they were a fucking shady bunch of con artists, though. Leaching off of anyone who'd give them a second of time. If those kinds of people were involved in this, it was going to be a real shitty case. "What was he doing this side of town?" All three of them shrugged. Of course they didn't know. "Do you think he could have been involved somehow?" Again, all three shrugged, the girls focusing their eyes down at the ground, like they knew they were no help at all. 

"Look man, Detective. We were walking by, saw a crowd, enjoyed a show, and then a guy is killed almost right beside us. Didn't hear a thing. All I know is that guys like this don't come up here for no reason. Maybe your dead guy was the reason."

"Thanks, kids. Leave your information with Officer Chen there, and we'll call if we need anything else." The three were directed away by the police woman, Tina Chen, and Gavin sighed, squeezing the bridge if his nose and closing his eyes for a second. Yeesh, this was going to be a shit show, he could tell. Gavin hated dealing with performers the most. They were so... Dramatic. "What do you think?" He turned to Leo, who had his nose in his phone. Great. "Leo." 

"Shut up I'm looking into something." Leo flipped him off before turning around, his attention back on his phone. "Guys name is Simon Hunt. According to his blog, he's a stage magician. Street magician, I don't know. His last post says he's in L. A." Leo turned back to Gavin and showed him his phone, and the blog page he'd found. On first glance it looked like it was official. Gavin took the phone and scrolled through the posts with his thumb, skimming the paragraphs. It did say that Simon had moved to Los Angeles a few months ago, and the newest post outlined a few things he was doing there with pictures and locations of where he'd be performing. 

So why was Simon back in Detroit? Gavin glanced towards the covered body, handing Leo back his phone. Did it actually have something to do with the victim? The one video the kids had taken showed the blond street performer trying to help the dead guy, not hurt him more. Then again, they were a shady bunch so it was possible that it was all an act. Gavin fished his own phone out of his back pocket and dialed a number so familiar to him, and waited. It picked up on the third ring. "Miller, I need an address. Yeah, Hunt, Simon." he waited, Leo watching, before huffing a sigh. "Alright. Thanks." 

"What?" 

"He's only listed as a tenant in L. A. Nothing in Detroit matches, and the last Detroit address was from a couple months ago. I'll put in a call to the LAPD and see if they can search his current place." And that was their only lead, gone. Gavin scratched a hand back through his wet hair, obviously frustrated. There were too many questions and not enough answers, and too many people who wanted answers. Gavin didn't have to look to know the press was just outside the police line, waiting for any scrap bit of information. He needed to address them, too, before he could even think of leaving the crime scene. Another glance towards Leo, and the kid was still on his phone. "Check if you can find anyone acquainted with our blond con artist. Maybe he wrote about friends on that blog." Leo just nodded. 

Gavin ducked his head, heading towards a few officers gathered nearby. They were tasked with watching the perimeter and making sure the coroner wasn't bothered by anyone who gathered by the police line, and a murder definitely attracted its share of bystanders. The officers greeted him with head nods when he approached, and frowns after he spoke. "I need someone to talk to the news."

"Gross Gavin." Tina Chen, the officer who had gathered up the witnesses not too long ago for him, scrunched her nose at just the idea. No one liked talking to the press. 

"C'mon Tina. You got a good face for it, people like you." if he couldn't get Tina to talk to them, he'd have to go himself, and that wouldn't end well. Gavin hated all the questions. Tina was calm, confident, and she didn't take their shit, but she also didn't snap at the reporters. Or punch them. "I'll owe you."

"You already owe me, Reed. When're you gonna pay up for the last time?"

"When you don't fucking ask the impossible!" 

Tina clicked her tongue and shook her head, but she stretched both hands out in front of herself and stepped forward. "I guess having a guy owe you two favours isn't so bad. Brief me and I'll talk to the vultures for you." 

Thank God for Tina Chen, she was a life saver. They walked slow, Gavin relaying all the information he had to her, which was pretty much just the blond street performer who was currently their murder suspect. They hadn't gotten more than that, but it was enough to warn the public. The news crews would eat it up for sure and spread the word, and hopefully someone had recently seen their suspect. He let Tina go do her thing, and went looking for Leo, finding him siting in the car, still scrolling through his phone. 

Gavin pulled open the front door and slid into the driver's seat, happy to finally be out of the rain. "Anything?"

The kid nodded, and it took a second before he shut down his phone and finally looked at Gavin. "Yeah, actually. Guy was kind of close with another street artist in town. They did weird shows together, talked about each other a lot online. I'd say they were friends, or something, so it might be a good lead. Connor Anderson." Leo hesitated. "You think...?" 

Anderson. Like the Lieutenant. "Maybe." Everyone at the precinct knew the Lt. had a couple of boys, one older and one younger, but that was about it. Hank wasn't forthcoming about his family unless he liked you, and he didn't exactly like Gavin, or Leo for that matter. Gavin had met the eldest Anderson once, at a precinct barbeque about a year ago, and hadn't been able to forget him. No one would have been able to forget meeting him, because he was fucking adorable. In an adult kind of 'take me home to meet your family' kind of way. Gavin really didn't know too much about the guy, because he hadn't really talked to him during the bbq. It had taken him a while to get over the sudden realization that, yes, he was actually really into the wholesome family-oriented type of guy. Gavin had sort of met him. Alright , watched him from the other side of the lot because Gavin hadn't wanted to test Hank at the time. It was kind of pathetic. 

"Well." Leo ran his thumb over his phone screen a few times, scrolling through a website and Gavin waited impatiently beside him until the kid held out the device. "What do you think? I've never met the guy so-?" 

Gavin had Leo's phone in hand and didn't even have to think about what he was seeing. One hundred percent yes, this was Hank Anderson's oldest kid. "Well son of a bitch." what the fuck was Hank doing, letting his kid do this kind of shady shit? Did Hank know? Of course he fucking knew, he had to know. "You got an address?" Gavin handed Leo his phone back, waiting again. 

Leo finally tapped the GPS screen on the dashboard LCD screen and directions popped up under his fingers. "Yeah, got it." with a destination now, Leo stretched out in the passengers seat, waiting for Gavin to start the car and head out. Kid was definitely in a better mood now that they were in a dry place and Gavin didn't blame him because even he felt better with a roof over his head. 

The GPS outlined a route and Gavin started the car, pulling away form the crime scene. He wasn't worried about not being there to over see everything. His team knew what they were doing. The coroner would have the body transfered, a team would come in after and clean up what was left of the mess. Tina had already recorded the witnesses and talked to reporters. Chris Miller was already setting up a hotline for any tips they'd get when folks watched the press conference, and the evidence they'd found on site would be heading to the station soon. Besides it being a murder, the investigation so far was pretty cut and dry. 

Stopping at a red light, Gavin took a second to put through a call, his phone connectimg to the cars Bluetooth immediately. Four rings later, Chris' familiar voice answered. "What's up, Reed?" 

"Can you do a record check on a Connor Anderson?" 

There was a pause before Chris spoke up again. "Like, related to _Hank Anderson_ kind of Connor?"

"Yeah, one and the same." 

"Gavin, Hanks not going to like you looking into his family -" 

"I'm not fucking doing it for shits, Chris. He's close with my murder suspect." 

Another pause over the phone, but Gavin could hear the faint sounds of typing as Chris worked, hopefully on his request. "It'll take time to dig a bit deeper into his record but right off the bat I don't see anything that stands out. He was arrested once a few years ago, but acquitted right away." 

Of course. "Dig deeper." 

"It's your funeral, man." 

The line went dead and Gavin couldn't help but sigh. Fucking awesome. He didn't need Chris to find information on that arrest because Gavin remembered it well enough, because he'd been there. It hadn't been pretty; Hank had gone off on the arresting officer, and the guy had ended up being transfered because Hank had been fucking livid. It had been a rookie mistake, the officer had arrested Connor in a mistaken identity kind of way and hadn't really deserved what he got from Hank, but then again, Gavin knew the Lieutenant was protective. Everyone knew. 

Still, it didn't make sense why Hank let his oldest run the streets as a fucking con artist or whatever they called themselves. Like. Gavin could not wrap his head around it. 

"So... 'M getting the idea that the Lieutenant is gonna be pissed with us." Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, keeping his eyes ahead on the road. Gavin didn't blame him, no one wanted Hank to be pissed with them. 

"Yeah." Gavin nodded, there was no sense sugar coating it for the kid. Leo had been around long enough to learn enough about Hank Anderson. "He's gonna tear me a new one when he finds out. Assholes kinda protective." Well, it was an understatement, sure, but Leo got the idea. "That's why you're gonna stay in the car." 

"Fuck off." Leo laughed, like it was a joke, until he realized that Gavin wasn't amused at all. "Your serious? _Why_?" 

"Because I fucking said so, that's why."

Leo's fist banged against the side of the car door and he glared st Gavin, which would have been intimidating but Gavin wasn't afraid of the kid. "Fuck right off, Reed! _Why_? I can handle myself, asshole!" 

"Calm the fuck down, _Manfred_. You aren't twelve anymore, tantrums ain't gonna get you shit. If I say you're staying put in the fucking car, then that's where you'll be. Got it?" 

"Fucking unfair." the kid crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't add any more to the conversation. Leo could be a bitch, but for the most part he did follow orders whether he liked them or not. 

When Gavin pulled the car up to the curb in front of an apartment building, Leo didn't move an inch in his seat. It was good because Gavin was going to have to defend himself against Hank Anderson if this went the way he thought it was going, so he didn't need to fight with Leo too. God he really hoped this wasn't going to be a shit show but he had a gut feeling like this was the start of something.

"Just stay put, I'll call if I need backup. Alright? Shouldn't take more than ten minutes. Watch the door."

"Whatever, Detective." 

Fucking sassy little bitch. Gavin rolled his eyes and got out of the car and back into the rain. It wasn't more than a few steps to the building door, but long enough for Gavin to get soaked all over again by the rain. He took a second to shake off the excess water from is jacket and hair before making his way to the stairs and up to the second floor. Gavin wasnt worried about anyone running off suddenly because he didn't drive a marked police car. He drove his own shit box Toyota Corolla and doubted anyone would assume it belonged to the Detroit PD. When he got to the second floor, the hallway was empty, and he counted the doors all the way to unit B-6. 

The building itself wasn't the best looking. It wasn't in a bad neighbourhood but it wasn't in a good one either. It was older, less taken care of, probably had cheaper rent and the security was terrible because Gavin had been able to just walk in without needing to be buzzed in. The carpet under his boots was old, smelt a bit musty, probably hadn't been changed in 20 years. The walls were painted, but you could see white drywall spots where someone had come in to fix holes and hadn't bothered to paint over them. At least all the lights were working. 

Gavin stopped in front of the right door and knocked a couple times and waited. Honestly he hoped this was all just some kind of big misunderstanding and he'd get to leave this potential family drama shit behind. Sure, Gavin and Hank butted heads all the fucking time and in general people were just as wary of Gavin as they were of Hank, but this was going overboard. Hank would actual lose his shit and Gavin did not want to be for the and center yet here he was. 

There was some rustling beyond the door, nothing actually suspicious, or loud but Gavin just wanted this over with and he was getting impatient. He knocked again, a little harder just in case his first few knocks hadn't been heard. "Hey, it's the DCPD. Could ya open up?" 

The obvious sound of a lock sliding out of place met Gavin's ears, then the door was pulled open without any sort of urgency behind it. The only reason why someone could be so nonchalant about having the police at your door, was if your dad was a police Lieutenant. 

Connor Anderson stood in the doorway, the first time Gavin had ever been face to face with him and he was quickly reminded of just how attractive the guy was, and he had to simultaneously kick himself because not only was that a really fucking bad train of thought, but _hello_ , Connor was the only lead he had on a potential murder suspect. He didn't have time to fawn all over the guy because he was cute. 

Gavin moved a hand over his chest, rubbing out a soreness that had just spread, like he'd bumped into something hard, which he hadn't. He had to blink a few times, getting his thoughts back in order as if he'd forgotten for a second what he was doing there. What the fuck was wrong with him? Yeah, Connor was attractive but he wasn't knock you out just by looking at him attractive. 

"What can I do for you, officer...?" 

Connors voice pulled Gavin out of his mild confusion, bringing him back to what he was actually there for. " _Detective_ Reed." he corrected immediately, and Gavin didn't hide the fact that he was trying to look around Connor and into the apartment. "We're looking for a friend of yours, Simon Hunt? Have you seen him at all lately? Maybe today?" 

The slightest smile twitched at the corners of Connors lips, and Gavin 100% caught the action and it would have been a lie of he'd said he didn't focus on those lips barely hearing Connors answer to his question. "Simon moved to L. A. a few months ago, Detective." 

"If that's your official statement I'm going to have to get a warrant to search your apartment, Mr. Anderson." Gavin took a breath and focused on making eye contact. Focus, Gavin. 

Connor made a humming sound as if he were thinking over what Gavin said like it was a business proposition or some shit and Gavin had to bite his tongue to keep himself from snapping at the guy to hurry the fuck up. He honestly didn't have this kind of patience tonight, or ever really. Connor might have been absolutely rediculously attractive but that did not make Gavin more patient. Nothing did. 

"Alright, Detective Reed." to Gavin's surprise, Connor stepped aside and held the door open for Gavin, like it was an invitation to go inside the apartment. "Mi Casa es su Casa." 

For obvious reasons, Gavin hesitated. This wasnt the expected scenario. He had anticipated Connor getting huffy and upset that the police were on _his_ doorstep and _'Do you even know who my father is'_ kind of arguments, because... Well, why not? He didn't expect the cheeky smile and the open invitation to move the conversation from the hallway to the living room. It was definitely a nice change to the usual arguments police officers usually got at the front door but Gavin was suspicious. 

"Thanks." Gavin stepped into the apartment, immediately looking around for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing caught his eye and he didn't hear anything from the closed off rooms, so he watched Connor instead as he made his way into the kitchen. The guy didn't seem concerned that there was a detective at his door, asking about one if his friends, and that was the weirdest part of this entire conversation. "So, nothing to say about me asking questions about your friend?" 

Connor busied his hands with the kettle on the counter and a mug he was preparing, not looking up form his work. "I'm not an idiot, Detective Reed, it's on the news. You're looking for Simon, and I'm the closest thing to a lead you have." Conor finally glanced up from his tea making, staring down Gavin a minute before looking away again, dropping a few sugar cubes into his tea and pouring the water from the kettle into his mug. "Simon's not here." 

Gavin looked up from Connors hands, not having realized that he'd been staring at them. "Mind if I take a look to see for myself?" at Connors nod, Gavin started his tour of the small apartment. 

God he had to get his head in the game. 

The front door opened up into the living room, which was small but furnished comfortably with a couch, chair and television. The tv was smaller and older, but didn't look any worse for wear. It was a lived in room, but not messy. Books piled under the coffee table and plants on the end tables, a colourful blanket hung over the back of the couch. The kitchen and what Gavin assumed was the bathroom where to the left of the living room, the kitchen itself wasn't that small but large enough to fit a small table and a few chairs against the wall and still have room to move around while cooking. It was a bright room, but without windows. The walls were painted a faded yellow and everything was a mismatch of colours from the red kettle to the blue teatowels. Connor was leaning against the counter, sipping his tea and watching every move Gavin made as he stepped around the living room. 

There was one door on the right side of the living room, and Gavin wasn't surprised to find the bedroom on the other side of the door when he pushed it open. The lights were off and the blinds pulled shut, but he could make out the outline of a bed and furniture. Gavin reached for the lightswitch next to the door, flicking it on. The bed was messy like it had just been slept in, and the one window in the room had the curtains closed tight. Gavin spared a second to peak outside the window, finding the fire escape but the window itself didn't look as if it had been opened in a long time. Gavin's attention shifted quickly to the clothes piled on top of the dresser; folded jeans, a tshirt, and a blue sweater that Gavin was sure he'd seen before. He pulled the sweater out of the pile, and after a quick examination, could clearly see the red stains in the fabric. Blood stains. 

Who the fuck just left evidence like this just laying around to be found?

Unless you wanted them to be found. 

Connor was still in the kitchen watching him when Gavin shut the bedroom door, leaving the sweater behind. He crossed both arms over his chest unsure of exactly what to think of the situation so far because it really didn't make much fucking sense if you thought about it. Connor was being cooperative, but also not forthcoming with information, but also not hiding the fact that he had definitely had Simon in his apartment at some point within the last two hours. It was like he was waiting for Gavin to come to the conclusion on his own, but why fucking waste his time like this? Guy was hot, but annoying as shit already. 

"So?" Connor took a sip of his tea. "Did you want something to drink before we move this conversation downtown?" 

That was it. Connor was stalling. Gavin fished his cell out of his pocket, keeping an eye on Connor, and dialed his partners number. Leo picked up on the first ring. 

"What the fuck Reed you've been up there for like twenty minutes already!" 

"Has anyone come out the front door?" first off, Gavin didn't have time to argue with his kid-partner, and twenty minutes was a huge over-exaggeration on how long he'd been there. 

"What? No. I've been watching the door waiting for you, asshole." 

There had to be a back door in the building, then, because the fire escape hadn't been used. "I'll be down in a few minutes." he hung up before Leo could bitch at him some more, his attention still on Connor, who hadn't moved from his spot in the kitchen. "When did he leave?" 

Connor set his mug down and shrugged, and Gavin didn't miss the smirk that crossed his pretty lips. "Who?" Connor knew exactly what he was doing. 

What a fucking asshole. Why was he _trying_ to get arrested? "When did Simon leave?" Gavin was only going to ask once more before he lost his shit. 

"Who knows, Detective? It had to be at some point within the last two hours otherwise it just doesn't make any logical sense." 

"Alright, asshole. I wanted to avoid this because your old man isn't gonna like me for it but I'll take my chances." Gavin unclipped his handcuffs from his belt, taking the few steps to the kitchen and Connor, who put his mug into the sink like he wasn't about to get fucking arrested. "Connor Anderson you have the right to remain silent, etc etc. If you resist I'll add resisting arrest to the list of charges." 

"Which are?" 

"Obstruction of Justice, hiding a fugitive, helping a murder suspect avoid arrest. Accomplice to murder by association. I could go on." 

Connor grinned, but held out his hands without a fight. "Then by all means, take me away Detective. You _are_ a bit more attractive than the last person who put me in cuffs... Do I get manhandled if I resist a little?" 

Fuckin' cheeky little shit - Gavin felt his cheeks heat up and responded to it with misplaced aggression, pulling at Connors hands a little bit rougher than he should have, and locking the cuffs a little tighter than was comfortable. "Anything you say can and will be used against you, so _shut up_ , Anderson." he did not have the time or the energy to deal with this kind of weird flirting in the middle of trying to arrest the guy. 

"Hmm..." Connor tugged at the handcuffs in a disappointed kind of way, but otherwise followed Gavin's instructions and kept quiet for now, thankfully. 

Gavin guided his now cuffed suspect into the living room and started looking around for keys, because he'd have to come back to this place to grab evidence later, or get someone to do it for him and he didn't want the apartment to get robbed if he left the door unlocked. Connor watched him search, staying quiet while Gavin checked the kitchen, a couple drawers there, before looking through some things on tables in the living room before Gavin ultimately gave up looking. He hadn't wanted to ask for help but his search was obviously not turning anything up. "Where are your fucking house keys?" 

He got a devious grin as an answer and Gavin rolled his eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure out that of fucking course the keys were in Connors pocket. Fuck. 

"I could get them out myself if you'd uncuff me" Connor held up his hands, which were still held tight in the steel handcuffs. "It's not as though I've given you _any_ reason to mistrust me." Connor flashed what was probably his attempt at an innocent smile as Gavin stepped up to him. 

Gavin thought it was a really cute, endearing grin and he was really uncomfortable with how much he liked it. He grabbed Connors bound wrists with one hand and held them out of the way. "No." This was so fucking dumb and awkward. Who kept their keys in their pocket while they were at home? This whole case was just one big fucking chaotic mess. "Left or right?" if he sounded exasperated, it was because he was. 

"Left." 

So Gavin reached into the left pocket of Connors jeans, and glared at the asshole a half second afterwards when the pocket turned up empty. This fucking asshole... Because it wasn't already awkward enough. 

Connor just grinned as innocently as he possibly could, which turned out to be not innocent at all in Gavin's opinion. " _My_ left, Detective Reed." It sounded like he was having the time of his fucking life, which was weird when you considered the fact that Connor was getting fucking arrested for harbouring a fugitive in a murder investigation. 

"I swear to God..." He didn't need to finish that sentence, because he barely had a hand halfway into the other pocket of Connors jeans when the entire night just went to hell. He got the keys, which was fantastic, but the front door busted open as soon as his fingers touched the keyring. Leo fucking Manfred, gun drawn, practically kicked down the front door like he was a one man fucking SWAT team and right there in the middle of the living room, Gavin had a hand practically halfway down a handcuffed suspects pants. 

"What the fuck-" 

"-Jesus Christ, Leo!" 

Leo stood awkwardly in the doorway, still holding his gun like he was ready to shoot, but it gave Gavin enough time to actually pull the keys out of Connors pocket. He jingle the keys in his partners direction before the asshole got any weird fucken ideas, which he definitely would get because Gavin felt like he was as red as a beet right now. Fuck. "Keys, Manfred! Put the fucking gun away before you actually hurt someone." 

As if he'd just realized that he was still holding the Glock 19, Leo quickly holstered the firearm, snapping on the safety. "What the fuck are you doing up here, Reed. It's been like half an hour."

"Its been ten minutes, christ." Gavin grabbed Connor by the shoulder and started guiding him towards the door, pausing in front of Leo because the asshole wouldn't move out of the way. "What?" Despite looking like he wanted to say something, Leo decided against it and stepped aside to let them by. Gavin didn't have the energy to pry right now though, so he kept walking Connor forwards. Once they were all out of the apartment, Gavin let go of Connor for a minute so he could lock the door. 

"So...? We're arresting the Lieutenants kid?" Leo was a couple steps behind Gavin ad the walked. "I thought that was a bad idea."

"It _is_ a bad idea." Gavin sighed but kept them all moving, getting to the stairs and helping Connor push one the door is they could get to the ground floor. 

"I can assure you that Hank is _not_ as threatening as he seems to be." 

Gavin groaned. This was going to be a headache and a half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this little adventure!
> 
> Back to Connor POV next chapter!
> 
> Please feel free to stop by my Tumblr and say hello @ [Shootmewithasilverbullet](https://shootmewithasilverbullet.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's tough to decide whether to trust the shady but hot magic man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun  
> Gavin is so reasonable when he's working wow

°°° × 1hr 45 minutes earlier × °°°

Flicking through the various news channels didn't provide any more information than what Connor already had in regards to the situation. Every news station kept playing the same interview clip over and over - a police woman in the rain answering questions with vague answers that told Connor that the police didn't have much information to go on besides Simon. It was troubling, because it really was a matter of time before someone came knocking on his door. Good or bad. 

Simon was still asleep in the bedroom, and hadn't made a sound besides the odd snore since Connor had put him to bed earlier. The last thing Connor wanted was to wake him up, especially after the exhausting day he'd had but things never seemed to work out that way. He couldn't keep Simon here, in his apartment, for much longer. There were only so many places Connor trusted to hide a friend in such a dangerous situation, though. He'd have to pull in a few favours, that was for sure, and even then... Well. Simon's situation was a special one. It wasn't every day that Connor had a chance to hide a fugitive. 

He sent a text and waited, stretching out his arms as he sat on the couch. He knew full well that he may not even get an answer right away; Rose was a busy woman and didn't often have free time on her hands. So his surprise was warranted when his phone blipped with a responce so soon. 

Convincing Rose was the hardest part of his plan. As much as she trusted Connor and as much as he trusted Simon, there were no guarantees, and honestly Connor didn't blame the woman for being skeptical. If she wasn't, he wouldn't have trusted her with the safety of a good friend. It helped that Simon wasn't just any friend of Connors - he wasn't rediculously popular by any means, but he _had_ made a name for himself in small circles not unlike how Connor had. Reputation helped in these scenarios and Connor was not above using it. 

_°I trust you, Connor. I wouldn't do such risky business for anyone else.°_

_°You're an absolute Doll. °_ he couldn't help but smile because Rose was about as much of a Mother Hen as Connor was, and if Simon had to go anywhere for safe keeping until things died down, he was very happy it would be with her. All Connor had to do was make sure the police never got the chance to sniff around Rose's place, which honestly wouldn't be too difficult to manage considering there was absolutely no connection between Rose and Simon. 

He was in the middle of typing up a long message in regards to when and how Simon was going to get to her, when there was a knock on the door and Connors plans did a 180°. It hadn't taken the police very long to figure out Simon's connection to him, Connor had figured he'd have at least a few more hours to plan before he had to act, and to make matters more complicated, Simon was still asleep. 

Pulling himself off his couch, Connor sent a quick _°Change of plans, he's coming now.°_ to Rose before pocketing his phone. Another knock, this time accompanied by the annoyed shouting of what Connor guessed was a tired Detective, and Connor shook out his right hand, limbering it up before pulling the door open. 

There were barely a handful of seconds to act before it was too late: the single moment of recognition: a person focusing and acknowledging another. Not only was it a small window of opportunity, but he was taking a very big leap of faith. Connors plan would _not_ work if there were two people at his door right this moment. Because it was late at night and raining, he was counting on both officers - partners, obviously, to be already irritated and annoyed by the weather, the murder, and the hour. He was counting on one of them staying in the car parked outside the building. 

The door opened, and one man stood in the entryway and Plan A initiated. Connor made eye contact just as his right hand came up, his palm hitting the center of the officers chest, the other wrapping around the back of the mans neck and pulling him forward in one quick, fluid motion. He was already mumbling when the Detectives ear reached his lips, a hasty slew of words bathed in tone and inflection that flowed together like a dance off his tongue, ending on a stern but quiet whisper of _"Sleep."_ and the Detective he was holding against his shoulder, slumped obediently into a trance against him. After that, it didn't take much effort to guided the Detective the few steps into the apartment so he could shut the door, and that was that. 

Connor breathed, like he'd been holding his breath the entire time and rubbed his now sweaty palms down the front of his jeans. He never doubted himself when it came to this kind of simple hypnosis, but it was always a rush of adrenaline. It never stopped being exciting, whether it was the first or hundredth time. Connor _had_ been mildly concerned that he'd get the pick of the litter - a police officer that was both physically _and_ mentally strong - someone who had sharper mental strength usually didn't fall as easily into the trap of a simple sleep trance, and Connor would have been in a lot of trouble had this nice Detective been keen on exercising his brain a bit more. Fortune favoured the bold, however. 

Hm. Speaking of Detectives, the one he'd caught tonight wasn't so bad to look at. Connor obviously hadn't expected grizzled old Hank to come knocking on his door - Hank would have called first. He hadn't really given it much thought besides knowing someone would come looking for him, and he most definitely hadn't expected an officer that was gentle on the eyes. The Detective was young-ish, early thirties maybe, and he looked tired, even in a sleep trance. He was attractive and familiar, like Connor had seen him before which was highly probable considering the amount of time he used to spend around the precinct before he'd moved out of Hanks place. It was interesting... Of the two closest precincts to the murder, Connor had figured the 6th to take the lead on the investigation, not the 7th.

It worked well for him in the end. A backup plan for his backup plan if Connor needed it. 

He looked the Detective over again, finding his badge clipped to his belt and pulled it free. The name did sound familiar. Gavin Reed, but Connor didn't recall ever talking to him. He'd have remembered a conversation with this one, especially with features like this that stood out. Scar across the bridge of his nose, pale grey eyes, the stubble. He definitely would have remembered this one. Connor clipped the badge back into place on Reeds belt. He was definitely going to have fun with this one. 

He left the sleeping Detective in the living room and headed for his bedroom, knocking lightly before walking into the dark room. He had to get Simon up and out soon, before Detective #2 realized something was up. "Simon." the lump on the bed barely moved as Connor walked across the room towards the window covered by dark curtains. He moved the thick fabric aside with a finger and glanced down into the night and sure enough, an unmarked car was parked up on the curb right in front of the door. "Simon." he said it louder and earned a groan in response as the blonde shifted under the blankets, rolling over but not waking up. Poor guy was absolutely exhausted.

Having no choice but to force Simon to wake up, Connor moved from the window to the side of the bed and gave the lump under the blankets a light shake. "Simon, it's urgent." Thankfully the added touch seemed to do the trick and the pile of blankets moved, until the blond was sitting up, bleary eyes barely open. 

"Connor? What time is it?" it was a tired mumble, barely aware of his surrounding. Simon rubbed his face with both hands, trying to get the sleep haze to wear off. 

"Just after ten. I'm sorry, I wish I could let you stay here longer but-" trying to ignore his friends confusion for the time being, Connor tugged at Simon's arm until he was moving, scooting forward until both his legs hung off the bed. "-Things progressed a little too quickly."

Simon stood up on his own and tried to stretch out the tiredness in his limbs. "What happened?" 

"The police are here." He shouldn't have said it that way, because he knew the reaction it would get out of his friend but he hadn't been focused on the conversation and the words had slipped off his tongue. Simon tensed immediately as expected, the fear he'd worn earlier wrapped tight around him all over again. "No, its alright Simon." Connor winced, mentally chastising himself for the slip-up. 

"You _just said_ the police are here!" Simon hissed, trying to keep his voice down like there was someone on the other side of the bedroom door. Which there was, but Detective Reed wasn't doing any listening right now. At the very least Simon was wide awake. 

"Well. Yes. Because they are but we've got a bit of time, and I've got a plan." Connor watched his friend pace around the dark room, his frantic steps slowing down until Simon stood still in front of him. Connor gave his friend a cocky, self assured smile. "Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?" 

Simon sighed. "No, but I've never been neck deep in shit before, either." 

"Thats fair."

The blond glanced towards the bedroom door, rubbing at his arm in an anxious manner. He was nervous, and that nervousness had Connor looking at the door even though he knew no one would be there. "Sometimes your plans make me nervous, Con." 

It was a valid point. If Connor had been on the receiving end of some of the hairbrained ideas he'd come up with over the years, he'd be about just as nervous as Simon was right now. His plans may have been a little eccentric sometimes but they never failed. "Since when is innovation cause for concern?" 

"Con, there's a police office in your house and you aren't worried." 

"Point taken, but I promise Detective Reed is completely out of sorts right now and isn't cause for _any_ concern. Yet." Simon didn't look convinced by that matter of fact statement, managing to look even more concerned and Connor rolled his eyes. "His partner on the other hand, will start to get impatient if we don't get a move on." 

Simon sat back on the bed and leaned forwards, his head in both hand and Connor could hear him mumbling to himself but he didn't have time to comfort him right now. Time wasn't on their side, but thankfully Simon didn't need to pack a bag. "You're going to have to find your way to a friend's place." he relayed to Simon where he'd be meeting Rose and how she'd help him, assuring the blond that yes, he trusted this woman with his life and no, it wasn't going to be forever. The rendezvous point wasn't that far away and if Simon kept to the back streets he'd be able to get there without attracting any attention. It was a good plan Connor was confident in it, and there was little chance anything could go wrong. 

Besides, he would be keeping the police at bay, giving Simon and Rose more than enough time to get together and move to a safer location. 

If anything did go wrong, he had backup plans for his backup plans. But there was such a tiny margin for error he wasn't worried, it was just habit to over-plan. 

"Connor." 

Connor checked his watch. It had almost been ten minutes. "Yes." 

"I honestly can't believe that you hypnotized a cop." Simon laughed, borderline hysterical at this point. 

They didn't have time for a breakdown. "Simon." the blond glanced his way and Connor reached out, grabbing his shoulder, trying to keep him grounded with a touch. "Breathe with me please. In and out. In and out." it took a few breaths before Simon was okay enough that he didn't look ready to shatter if a breeze happened to roll in. "Everything is going to be fine, trust me a little alright?" he squeezed his friends shoulder a little until the blond nodded. 

"I'm sorry I know we're on a time limit-"

"-Its fine. Si, I can't send you out there if you're not okay with it. If you get arrested, theres a high chance they'll pin this on you without too much investigating. It's a done case, you're a good scape goat and that's the point. I don't want you in jail, because I won't be able to get you out." it wouldn't do his friend any good to hear that, but it was important for Simon to know and understand just how dangerous the situation was. 

"I'm good." Simon breathed steady and gave a nod when Connor looked at him. He was trying to be confident, even though he wasn't. Connor could see the cracks in his facade, but it would have to do. 

Holding open the bedroom door, Connor let Simon into the rest of the house, and ignored the laugh when the blond found the Detective asleep in the living room. "Connor, seriously this is so bad." 

"Can you please exit my apartment so that I can get arrested in peace?" 

Simon pulled open the front door, though not without giving the Detective a last look over. "You can have fun with him though, he's good looking." and he hesitated in the hallway. "Are you sure you'll be fine, Con?" 

"Absolutely. I have back-up plans, Simon. I'll be fine." he grinned and gave the blond a little shove and Simon took off down the hall. Connor waited a few minutes to give his friend a head start before maneuvering the dead weight that was Detective Reed back into the hallway where he'd first pulled him into the sleep trance. He steadied his own breathing before raising his left hand and hitting the Detective square in the chest as he had done before _"Awake."_ one simple command paired with pain, and the Detective blinked at him, aware again and Connor had to force himself not to smile. He really did have pretty eyes. 

The Detective moved a hand over his chest, acknowledging the pain that had spread from being struck, but not realizing what it was. It was amazing how easily the human mind hid things from you at the command of another person. Scary, even. If Connor had been anyone else, with any other motives besides the wellbeing of an innocent friend, things could have taken a huge turn for the worst especially with his control over these things. 

"What can I do for you, Officer...?" 

" _Detective_ Reed. We're looking for a friend of yours, Simon Hunt? Have you seen him at all lately? Maybe today?" 

The slightest smile twitched at Connors lips. Let the game begin. 

°°° × Present time × °°°

It wasn't the first time that Connor had found himself sitting in a DPD interogation room, handcuffed and chained to the table as if he had attempted to run during his arrest. Procedures and protocols of course, he was familiar with them but it was still uncomfortable. The room itself was empty besides the table and himself, and the table was void of even a coffee stain. The two way mirror against the wall was ever present, the activity buzzing behind it hidden by Connors own reflection.

He hadn't been sitting for long, and he knew that usually, the wait was a tactic used on most criminals to make them nervous; easier to talk to. An agitated man was a man who let slip secrets, after all. Connor had no secrets that agitation would unlock though, he was far too self aware to fall for such a barbaric trick. It seemed that his arresting officer felt the same way because the lock on the door clicked after a few more minutes of waiting and the door opened to reveal one Detective Gavin Reed. 

Truthfully, Connor was pleased to see the Detective, and not his younger partner. There was nothing wrong with Detective Manfred, besides the fact that he was young and easily manipulated if Connor felt the need. No, he was happy to see Reed because Reed was who he'd decided to play this game with. 

And, of course, the fact that Gavin Reed was something to look at. It was fun, because Gavin had reacted in a way that told Connor that the Detective was equally attracted to him. How did that not spell out a good time? 

"Detective Reed. It's nice to see you again. I missed you." 

"Don't fucking start with me, Anderson." Gavin dropped into the seat opposite Connor, slapping a closed manila folder onto the table. He stared at the mirror for a minute before shifting his glance back to Connor. Without a word, the Detective flipped open the folder and Connor spared a glance at the photos. The blood staned blue sweater he'd left on the dresser. The few stains on he couch from when Simon had sat down on it. Other peices of clothing from the bathroom where Simon had left them before changing. All left there for this exact purpose. Distraction. 

"Can you explain all this?" 

"Of course." 

Silence stretched between them and Gavin was obviously getting annoyed. Connor could hear his foot tapping against the floor. The way his fingers played with the corner of the folder, and the sigh.

"Well?" 

The agitation was clear in the Detectives voice and it had Connor leaning forward a little, hands clasped in front of him on the table. "I suppose I could lend a hand, seeing as I've already put you through a spot of trouble with your partner." He was referring to the incident with Connors keys, and the embarrassment that had followed. "These are Simon's clothes. That blood belongs to your victim. I'm sure your forensics team will get a match for both." 

Detective Reed made a sound, flipping through the various photos in the folder before closing it. His fingers tapped loudly against the table and Connor could see the suspicion in his grey eyes. Good. He wasn't just going to take the information and run with it. He was going to think about it, use his brain.

After a moment, the Detective reached up with one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You said it yourself that you watched the news. You know we're looking for your friend. Obviously you had him at your apartment, and obviously you let him go. Why? He's a murder suspect." there was an unsaid _'you should understand this better than most people'_. 

Connor sighed, unable to keep the frown from twitching at his lips. Maybe the Detective wasn't so keen on using his head today. "Please don't ask me for all the answers. I'm not the one getting paid to be here."

"Are you always this fucking cheeky? No wonder Hank's so stressed out."

"Speaking of Hank, the clock is ticking Detective Reed. You need to find the answers now before you can't anymore." 

"Is that a threat?" 

"Simply an observation. My father will be here... Judging by the time and how fast news travels. 28 minutes until he arrives at the station, assuming traffic is light for this time of night. Tic tok, what happens when he gets here?" 

It was quiet again, Connor watched the Detective glare at him, enjoying the way Gavin's brow twitched in anger. He was a man easily whisked away by his emotions, as observed in Connors apartment and here now. It was entertaining, but also I'll timed. Honestly they didn't have time for adolescent fits. They stared at each other for another long moment until there was a knock on the mirror. Someone wanted to talk. 

Without a word, Gavin stood up and left the room, leaving Connor to lean back in his chair and try to adjust the cuffs around his wrist that had been fascened too tightly. It was a shame he hadn't spent enough time working on lockpicking tricks. He could pickpocket a dog from a purse but he couldn't get out of these handcuffs. Sighing, Connor shifted in his chair, trying to get comfortable as he waited. Maybe he should learn, for just these kinds of situations. 

If he was being honest, Connor wasn't counting on Hank to save him. His father was a backup plan for his backup plan, and a means to stress urgency. If Detectives Reed and Manfred couldn't figure it out for themselves, Connor would have to feed them the information. If they happened to be more stunted than he anticipated, well, then Hank would arrive to make sure Connor didn't actually go to jail, because going to jail was not a part of his plan. He was hoping that Detective Reed was as smart as he thought he was, because both of his back up plans were less than desirable situations. Connor was here to help clear his friends name, a very serious kind of business but also one that he could have fun with should everyone play their role.

The seconds ticked by and it was only a few minutes before Gavin came back into the room. A few minutes wasted in Connors opinion, but what the Detectives chose to do with their limited time wasn't his business. "Welcome back. Twenty five minutes left." 

Gavin sat in the vacant chair and immediately wasted precious minutes by asking stupid questions. "Do you know who killed that man? Was it Simon?" 

Connor sighed. Was he giving Gavin too much credit here? "No and no. That would make this far too easy and I wouldn't need to be here." 

Gavin growled, one fist banging against the table as if it was _Connor_ who was wasting their time. "Then you have literal fucking zero information for us and you're just wasting my time." Misguided anger. 

"Absolutely _wrong_." they didn't have time for this. "Did they hand out Detective titles to all the preschoolers in your class?" Connor spat in a moment of irritation and he could feel the anger radiating from across the room. He'd really hit a nerve with that comment, but that was the point. Connor chose his words carefully. "I want you to sit back and think for a moment. We both know the same amount of information." and to his surprise, the Detective leaned back in his chair with a huff, arms crossed, and he presumably thought about the situation like a rational adult. 

"I don't get how you managed to smuggle Simon out of the house in time for us to show up, and still not have him get caught."

Connor shook his head quickly. Wrong question. Wrong direction entirely, but progress. He just needed to guide. "That detail is unimportant to your case. What you need to focus on is the crime scene itself and Simon. Together." Connor sighed. "The victim, you had to see it." 

Gavin nodded slowly, the right line of thoughts finally bubbling up to the surface and Connor could see it in his eyes. The realization. "He didn't belong there." Gavin's hands played with the folder still folded closed on the table top and Connor nodded. He wanted to praise the Detective, but thought otherwise. Now wasn't the time for such games. "It never made sense." Gavin continued "Alright, I'll admit it. Simon doesn't fit into the mix besides being there at the right time. How could he have known someone like this guy would be on the wrong side of town? Still fucking shady business if you ask me, all of you. What was he even doing there?" 

Good questions, finally. Connors eyes flick up towards the clock. 19 minutes. His tongue poked out, wetting his lips, an attempt to control the anxiety rising in his chest. "He was hired. It happens sometimes but this was anonymous, and that _is_ shady, even for us. Sometimes you don't have a choice though." Connor spared a glance at the mirror, only see himself frowning back. "I validated the text messages myself. Someone put my friend there for this reason." he tapped the manila folder with his finger to add a bit of emphasis to his words. 

"As a scapegoat?" the Detective scratched at his chin. "Why?" 

Connor didn't say a word. 

It was the Detectives turn to frown. "So we'd go after Simon on this wild goose chase. It wouldn't last that long thought, we'd figure it out eventually." 

Again, Connor shook his head, a bitter laugh huffing from his lips. "False. Would you have continued your investigation after arresting Simon? Or would you have pinned the blame on him, case closed, moving on. You've said it yourself you don't harbour anything but ill feelings towards our profession. One more pickpocket off the streets. Am I wrong?"

Connor wasn't wrong, and it was validated by the annoyance twisting at Gavin's frown because even he could see the truth in those words. Switches were getting flicked on in the Detectives brain though, and he was starting to realize what was going on with this case. Connor was glad, because he really hadn't wanted to use Hank as a means to save himself today, especially after promising to stay out of trouble. 

Sighing heavily, Connor focused on the Detective ahead of him. "I let Simon go because I know he's innocent and I had to know whether or not I trusted you to be fair with him. If you can promise me that you won't jump to conclusions and give him a fair chance at defending himself, then I'll tell you where he is." Connor stared at the Detective across from him, watching his every twitch and tick. He had to know for sure what Gavin was thinking before he gave away this information. 

There was a loud knock against the two way mirror but Connor didn't look away from the Detective ahead of him, too focused on those expressive grey eyes.

Gavin seemed to ignore the knock as well, not daring to look away, like he'd miss something if he did. "Why would you get yourself arrested for this guy? It's not a guarantee that you'll be able to weasel your way the fuck out of this mess, Connor. Especially if I don't believe you." 

All Connor could do was shrug. He understood that very well. All of Connors contingency plans could fail it was a chance he chose to take for the greater good. "Simon is innocent, Detective Reed. I know this without a doubt, and although I'm not a police officer, I know the system, and how it works." Connor sighed, finally looking away from the Detective and focusing on the table. "If I stood by and watched without lifting a finger, the system would eat him alive because he's an easy target and someone much more sinister would walk free." and that was far worse. 

It felt like a long time before either one of them spoke after that. There was another few knocks on the two way mirror before even that went silent. Even for Connor who could anticipate situations and read people well, had fallen prey to his own nerves. He was confident that Detective Reed would have a favourable response, but a part of him was aware of the many outside factors that could alter that response. Namely the other Detective on the other side of the window. Gavin's partner was trying hard to get his attention, and Connor suspected it was only a matter of time before he made his presence, and opinion, known. 

Gavin sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "You know that not telling me shit is warrant enough for your arrest, right?" 

"Yes. But getting this information from me by force would take much longer than having me simply tell you on my own terms." the Detectives tone had become less irate over the course of the conversation which lead Connor to believe that he was leaning towards cooperating with him. It was the best case scenario, assuming Con was reading him right, which he was. "It's ultimately your choice Detective Reed." 

The hand that had been in the Detectives hair ran down over his face and he nodded with a sigh, giving in. "Okay. You've got my word that I'll give Simon every chance to explain himself and I won't hold his profession against him." he paused, standing up slowly. "That's _if_ you can provide him." 

"Thank you, Detective." Connor held out his cuffed hands and the Detective stepped around the table to unlock them when the door to the interogation room opened suddenly. 

"Reed!" 

That infamous partner had finally decided to make his appearance, and later than Connor had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this! So sorry it's always updated so slowly!!
> 
> Love you all for reading, love all your comments and appreciate every kudos!! 
> 
>  
> 
> Please jump on over to Tumblr and give [Shootmewithasilverbullet](https://shootmewithasilverbullet.tumblr.com/)!  
> a follow for fic updates/DBH content + a shit load of other stuff.


End file.
